SPORTS
THE PERQUIMANS WEEKLY, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11,2015 7
STAFF PHOTO BY OWEN HASSELL
Perquimans’ Nate Gardner (left) and Kolby Walker (right) are part of the Pirates’ 11-
player senior class.
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Perquimans baseball
to lean on 11 seniors
PIRATES Roundup
From staff reports
The Perquimans baseball
team has more upperclass
men than spots on the dia
mond this spring.
It’s a good dilemma for
coach Justin Roberson and
the Pirates, who are fa
vored to repeat as Coastal
10 Conference champions
(16-0 in conference last sea
son, 24-4 overall) and make
another deep run in the 1A
state playoffs.
Two of those seniors
were All-Area players a
season ago in Nate Gardner
and Kolby Walker.
Gardner will play short
stop and pitch while Walker
will also be on the mound
and see time at first base.
Five seniors will also vie
for innings in the .outfield:
Mason White, Josh Parker,
Ethan Winslow, Will Berry
and Landon Symons.
Versatile seniors include
Mitchell Byrum (outfield,
jinfield and designated hit-
’ter) and Dustin Edwards
(first baseman, left-handed
pitcher, desginated hitter).
Caden Trueblood can
also pitch and play in the
infield.
Catcher Ryan Colson
— yes, another senior—re
turns from an ankle injury
that cost him nearly all of
2014 and to Roberson “is no
doubt the heart and soul of
this team.”
The remaining three non
seniors on the roster also
look to contribute.
Sophomore Wes Phthi ¬
sic pitched five innings last
Wednesday in a 7-0 win
against Pasquotank. Per
quimans is already 2-0 over
all and won its Coastal 10
opener at Manteo.
Junior infielders Kyle
Midgett and Gevin Nixon
(who can also pitch) round
out the team.
“Our pitching should be
solid and defense as well,”
said Roberson, who is enter
ing his fourth year coaching
his alma mater. “Leadership
should not be an issue with
11 seniors. I would like to
see us become more men
tally tough as a team. We
lost a lot of offense from last
year’s team and will have to
have some guys step it up
offensively.”
SOFTBALL
The Lady Pirates wel
come first-year coach Dave
Noble with an 18-player ros
ter.
Perquimans (14-6, 14-2
Coastal 10 last season) is
already off to a strong start,
beating Manteo last week
18-6 in its opener.
Three Lady Pirates will
be available to pitch: junior
Chelsea Worley, sophomore
Amanda Pulley and fresh
man Kaitlyn Christian.
The team has four se
niors in outfielder Jordan
Chappell, catcher/shortstop
Haley Cooper, outfielder
Sarah Marriner and infielder
Amber Stallings, who could
return off an injury during
basketball season in time to
play.
Utility players include
Chelsea Nixon, Kayley Ron ¬
ca and Kele Younger. Molly
Winslow, Kinlee Chap
pell, Rachael Lane, Brooke
Wheeler, Taylor Green and
Jordan Chappell are set as
outfielders.
Taylor Chappell will be
an infielder and freshman
McRae Knapp could also
be in the infield as well as
catch.
TRACK
Football coach Elvin
James now pulls double
duty in also leading the boys
and girls track teams this
spring.
The Lady Pirates have
more than 10 athletes led by
the trio of Kenya Downing,
Ashli Felton and Dazha Har
vey, all past state qualifiers.
Downing will compete
in the 100, relays and high
jump, Felton in the 200, 300
hurdles and relays and Har
vey the 100,200 and relays.
Other relay competitors
include Alexis Evans and
Latori Gregory. Sarah Baker,
Tomeeka White, McKenzie
Twine, Shontasia Lee, Den-
vell Sutton, Emily Falone
and Kylee Frink-Kendrick
round out the group.
For the boys, James said
numbers are down, but the
team will have strengths in
distance and field events.
“Because of our youth,
this year will be a learning
experience and a test of our
resiliency as a team,” James
said.
Some of those athletes in
clude Cole Phthisic, Charles
Maus and Miles Chaulk.
Da’Ome Mallory will be a
thrower.
First Platinum Dining Event on
Thursday, March 26, 2015
Our new wine partner, award winning
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EASTE 1
AT THE TABLE
on APRIL 5, 2015
HOUDAY BRUNCH AND DINNER
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A turkey grand slam
may just have to wait
A re you as tired of the cold,
rainy, snowy, sleety and
generally bad weather as
I am? This depressing weather
got me to thinldng about head
ing south. Florida has Osceolas
and turkey season comes in early
down there. Taking an Osceola
would put me halfway to a grand
slam.
There are four subspecies of
wild turkey in the U.S. We have
eastern turkeys here in N.C. The
only state where Osceolas (me-
Do It Outdoors
Wade Betts
buff or yellowish and Merriam’s
are pretty much white. Osceolas
look mostly like easterns but are
slightly smaller.
To succeed in taking a grand
slam all you need is time and
money, oh yeah, and luck and
skill. As I understand it most of
the turkeys in Florida are on pri
vate land. That means you either
have to know somebody or hire a
guide. Since I don’t “know a guy”
in Florida this one would have to
be a guided hunt. Let’s see; time
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Patia a^£ Petek Jteu^e Po^ch
leagris gallopavo osceola) are found is
Florida. Rio Grande (meleagris gallopavo
intermedia) turkeys are native to Texas,
Oklahoma and Kansas; the Merriam’s sub-
species (meleagris gallopavo merriami) are
turkeys of the southeastern United States.
There is some cross breeding, resulting in
hybrid turkeys and some turkeys have been
transplanted in areas out of their native
ranges. The Eastern (meleagris gallopavo
silvestris) is the most widely distributed
and therefore hunted of the four. Easterns
are found in 38 states and four Canadian
provinces. A grand slam is taking a turkey
of each subspecies. There is also a world
slam that includes the two sub-species that
live primarily in Mexico. The kills do not
have to be completed in the same year.
The big difference in the appearance of
the subspecies is the color of the tips of
the tail feathers and coverts. Coverts are
the feathers that form the base of the tail
fan. Eastern gobblers have dark buff or
chocolate brown tips. Rio’s tips are more
off from work, travel, meals, lodging, guide
service and tips. That could add up to thou
sands of dollars. The second leg of my slam
will have to wait.
Some states out west have both Merri
am’s and Rios on public land, other than
the travel time and distance those might be
easier. I just need to plan it around a fam
ily vacation. My dream road trip would be
to kill an Eastern in the mountains of NC,
head to Florida, go on a fully guided hunt
and take an Osceola. Next stop on my od
yssey would be Texas for a Rio. Then I’d
head on to Arizona for my Merriam’s and
a beer at Big Nose Kate’s. A grand slam is
definitely on my bucket list, but for now
I’ll continue to pursue eastern gobblers in
North Carolina.
If you want to learn how to cook a wild
turkey, come visit me at the Perquimans
County Library on March 24 at 6 p.m.. I’ll
have a bag full of props, some wild game
recipes and maybe some campfire cooking
tips and tricks.
Pack House Centennial
Getaway Special:
Two night stay at the Pack House,
chocolates and fruit in your room upon
arrival; $50 gift certificates for dinner
at The Table
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